Commonwealth Government

Makig-angay, Mel Rose

Degamon, Faith Krsna
Villamor, Mary Grace
Compesao, Jesusa
Palo, Rey Vincent
Commonwealth Era
• is the 10 year transitional period in Philippine
history from 1935 to 1945 in preparation for
independence from the United States as
provided for under the Philippine
Independence Act or more popularly
known as the Tydings-McDuffie Law.
• Commonwealth Government was led by
Manuel L. Quezon as President and Sergio S.
Osmeña.

• Manuel L. Quezon died of tuberculosis while

exiled in U.S.

• Sergio Osmeña took over as president.

• Japanese forces installed a puppet
government in Manila headed by Jose P.
Laurel.

• Japan formally surrendered in September 2,

1945.

• After the liberation, Commonwealth

Government was restored.
• Amidst this sad state of affairs, the third
commonwealth elections were held on April
23, 1946. Sergio Osmeña and Manuel Roxas
vied for the Presidency.

• Manuel Roxas won the election and

became the last president of the Philippine
Commonwealth.
The Philippine Bill of 1902 - Cooper Act

• United States Congressman Henry Allen

Cooper sponsored the Philippine Bill of 1902,
also known as the Cooper Act. President
Theodore Roosevelt signed it into law in July
2, 1902.
Some of the important provisions of the Cooper Act:

• Ratification of all changes introduced in the Philippine government

by the president of the U.S., such as the establishment of the
Philippine Commission, the office of the civil governor and the
Supreme court

• Extension of the American Bill of Rights to the Filipinos except the right
of trial by jury

• Creation of bicameral legislative body, with the Philippine

Commission as the upper house and a still-to-be-elected Philippine
Assembly as the Lower House

• Retention of the executive powers of the civil governor, who was also
president of the Philippine Commission
Provisions that were fulfilled before establishing the
Philippine Assembly

• Complete restoration of peace and order

in the Philippines

• Accomplishment of a Nationwide census

• Two years of peace and order after the

publication of the census
The Philippine Assembly
• The assembly was inaugurated on October 16, 1907
at the Manila Grand Opera House, with US
secretary of War William Howard Taft as guest of
honor. Sergio Osmeña was elected Speaker while
Manuel Quezon was elected Majority Floor leader.
The Recognition of the Philippine Assembly paved
the way for the establishment of the bicameral
Philippine Legislature. The Assembly functioned as
the lower House, while the Philippine Commission
served as the upper house.
Resident Commissioners
• Benito Legarda and Pablo Ocampo were
the first commissioners. Other Filipinos who
occupied this position included Manuel
Quezon, Jaime de Veyra, Teodoro Yangco,
Isaro Gabaldon, and Camilo Osias.
The Jones Law
• To further train the Filipinos in the art of
government, the U.S. Congress enacted the
Jones Law on August 29, 1916. It was the first
official document that clearly promised the
Philippine independence, as stated in its
preamble, as soon as a stable government
was established.

• It provide for the creation of the executive

powers.
Creation of the Council of State
• Upon the recommendation of Manuel L.
Quezon and Sergio Osmeña, Governor
General Francis Burton Harrison issued an
executive order on October 16, 1981,
creating the first Council of State in the
Philippines. It was the Council’s duty to
advise the governor general on matters
such as the creation of policies for
administering government offices.
•
The Os-Rox Mission
• One delegation, however, that met with
partial success was the Os-Rox Mission, so
called because it was headed by Sergio
Osmeña and Manuel Roxas.

• The Os-Rox group went to the United States

in 1931 and was able to influence the U.S.
Congress to pass a pro-independence bill
by Representative Butter Hare, Senator
Henry Hawes, and Senator Bronso Cutting.
Os-Rox Mission
• The Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law provided for a
10-year transition period before the United
States would recognize Philippine
independence. U.S. President Herbert
Hoover did not sign the bill; but both Houses
of Congress ratified it.
Os-Rox Mission
• When the Os-Rox Mission presented the
Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law to the Philippine
Legislature, it was rejected by a the
American High Commissioner representing
the US president in the country and the
Philippine Senate, specifically the provision
that gave the U.S. president the right to
maintain land and other properties reserved
for military use.
Os-Rox Mission
• Manuel Quezon was tasked to head
another independence mission to the
united States.
The Tydings-McDuffie Law
• In December 1933, Manuel L. Quezon
returned to the Philippines from the United
States with a slightly amended version of the
Hare-Hawes-Cutting bill authored by
Senator Milliard Tydings and representative
McDuffie.
The Tydings-McDuffie Law
• President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the
new U.S. president, signed it into law on
March 24, 1934. The Tydings-McDuffie Act
(officially the Philippine Independence Act
of the United States Congress; Public Law
73-127) or more popularly known as the The
Tydings-McDuffie Law provided for the
establishment of the Commonwealth
government for a period of ten years
preparatory to the granting of
Independence.
Source(s):
• http://www.philippine-history.org/philippine-
commonwealth.htm